Blog: Illustrating Science, and what happened along the way
-Krista Anandakuttan
The Moon and Tide Pools
Ink on plaster, Moon (2nd of 3) -in progress The other day I led a class to investigate the biodiversity of tide pools, here on the Sonoma Coast, CA. We had a...
Strawberry, Strawberry, Pea
Sketchbook, Krista Anandakuttan Spring 2015 A spring to remember: strawberry, strawberry, (strawberry, strawberry), pea. Of note: Fragaria x ananassa: not a berry, a strawberry is really an aggregate accessory fruit... Enjoyed (wild) since the stone age, cultivated...
Pressing topic
I used to mount plant specimens at an herbarium, and I miss it. And I want some mounted specimens of my own. I collected, pressed, and mounted some simple garden finds: camellia cuttings, and several smaller plants like dandelions, miner's lettuce, and clover. 1....
Earth Colors
Painting with earth colors is nothing new... Rust is red Found all over the world in shades of brown and red, orange, yellow and green, earth colors have been used by artists for more than 40,000 years. Deposits of iron-rich earth yield iron oxides in red and golden...
Getting to know an emu
My notes read: "liquid amber eyes." It's the first thing I notice, standing face to beak with an emu, as it approaches to look me over. Neat biological things I note too, in my sketchbook-- things that make this specifically an emu and not another large, flightless,...
More Winter: sketches with boots on
Bare branches, a feather, mud and daffodils. I love winter sketching with boots on. Oak tree, Laguna de Santa Rosa, colored pencil Apple tree in February Great-horned owl feather, colored pencil and watercolor Daffodils! Daffodil "fingers",...
A Closer Look: Winter
January studies & sketches... Never underestimate mud, or your own curiosity. (Feeling like a little kid today) What's under the woodpile? Salamanders, 1 worm, slugs and snails, a centipede, 2 roly-polies (one is blue) and a ladybug. Impossibly pink camellias, and...
Teaching Pen & Ink: Feathers, Fur and Fins
It started with the intriguing sentence "teach what you know".... I love working in pen and ink. No gray areas, just black and white, simple tools and lots of decisive marks. No erasing. But, how would I teach pen and ink? After copious notes and inspirations (way,...
Himalayan hill partridge in a wild pear tree
Arborophila torqueola (hill partridge) Pyrus pashia (wild Himalayan pear) Illustration by K Anandakuttan Highlighting the Himalayas: a "biodiversity hotspot", meeting a high threshold of unique life (more than 1,500 endemic plant species), and habitat loss...
Rare and Endangered Species exhibit
Black Lemur (Eulemur macaco) by Krista Anandakuttan, India ink and acrylic Jewels of Nature Exhibit 2014 Featuring works highlighting rare and endangered species as well as the natural history of California and beyond by: Krista Anandakuttan, Jennifer Bates, Katie...
Ask Da Vinci
Science, Technology, and the Future of Art Scientists and artists-- they often work in a space dedicated to experimentation, one called a laboratory, the other a studio. They often work with hazardous materials late into the night. They ask questions and try new...
Ask DaVinci
Science, Technology, and the Future of Art Scientists and artists: they often work in a space dedicated to experimentation: one called a laboratory, the other a studio. They often work with hazardous materials late into the night. They ask questions and try new...